Rail-joint.



Emnnna r. smear, or war/man,

massacnusar'rs.

RAIL-JOINT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915,

Application filed August 8, 1914. Sei-ial No. 855,527.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, EPIPHANE P. SIMARD, a citizen of the United States, residing at lValtham, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented cer tain new and useful Improvements in Rail Joints, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvementsin welded joints for rails. Its purpose 1s to provide a joint of great firmness and strength and one which'has great electrlcal conductivity.

A rail joint-of my construction is so perfect and rigid that little if any de ressions will be made near the ends 0 the rails and they will not become battered as is the case with some joints,

In making a rail joint of my construction, I dispense with the use of bolts, rivets or other similar fastening devices which are frequently used and I find it unnecessary to use rail bonds or supplementary wire between the rails to make a more perfect conductor. As the use of bolts, rivets or similar devices or of rail bonds necessitates perforating the rail ends and the connecting plate, and as I dispense with their use, the rail ends and the connecting plates are thereby stronger and less likely to break or wear out.

I use, preferably on bothsides of the abutting rail ends to be joined, fish plates which overlap the junction of the rails and extend a sufiicient distance each side of the point of contact of the abutting rail ends to give the necessary strength.- These fish plates areso made that they fit snugly against the web of the rail and are so made at the top that they fit snugly under the ball and at the bottom so that they fit snugly above the base of the rail. They fit closely at all points of contact and as they extend from the base to'the ball of the rail, they help to support and stiffen the ball at the part, that is to say near the-end of the rail, where it is subjected to the most severe wear and pounding. In my preferred construction, I use a fish plate of which the edges which adjoin the rail web, ball and base are groo\-ed,toothed or both whereby the parts maybe better welded and better electrical contact is secured. I also prefer to use a vertical reinforcing rib on the outside of the fish plate extending downward from the top flange at a point opposite the adjoining ends of the rail.

., In my construction, I use rails with square cut endswhich abut against each other and come. as closely together as possible.

In the draWings'Figure 1 is a side elevation of a rail joint embodying my invention with my preferred form of fish plate. Fig. 2 is a section thereof on line X -Y. Fig. 3 is a side elevation with parts broken away showing another form of fish plate. Fig. 4 is a section thereof seen from the right of line M, N. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of another form of fish plate. Fig. 6 is a. perspective view partly in section of another form of fish plates in place on a rail of which the ball has been removed to show the top of the fish plates. All the above are shown with the fish plates in posit-ion but not welded or brazed. Fig. 7 is a side elevation showing another form of fish plate in place and welded. Fig. 8 is a section on line S-T.

In the preferred form shown in Fi 1 and 2, A and B are two adjoining rails the ends of which are to be joined. These ends are brought closely together and the fish plates C and D are-fitted in on each side of the joint. These fish plates are of substantially the same construction except that as the bottom of the flange 10 of the rail is a greater distance from the base 11 than is the flange 12, the

fish plates C and D are of different heights and are shaped respectively to fit the curve of flange 10 or the curve of flange 12 where they adjoin and run into the respective surfaces of web 13. Each fish plate, as C at the top is preferably formed with an outwardly extending flange 20 along the u per outer edge of which is a longitudina recess or groove 21. At the bottom, each platev as C has a similar longitudinal recess or groove 23. These recmses serveto receive the welding material and to hold it in place both before it has cooled and afterward thereby making a stronger joint and one which gives better electrical conduction. The top of each fish plate as C of this referred construction is shorter than the 1;- tom whereby the sides 24 and 25 extend outward forming a'trapezoid'with equal sides, I prefer to form each side with a plurality of recesses where it adjoins the web of a rail which preferably take theform of notches or teeth 26 or 27. As shown in Fig. 1, the upper surface 28 of each tooth may be flat and the side thereof beveled to an edge as 29. I prefer also to have cast integral with each fish plate as C a vertical rib as 30 which extends downward in the form of a half cone from flange 20 toward the bottom of the plate. This form of fish plate is welded to the rail along the recesses 21, 23, 26 and 27 and as it has a long line of welding in proportion to its size, it has great conductivity. Bythe use of toothed recesses 26 and 27, if a crack should start between the welding and the metal, it will not be continuous as it might be with a straight line of weldingv In the construction shown in Figs. 3 and 4, I use fish plates as E, F, each of which fits snugly against the web of the rails G, Hand also against the underpart of the ball and the top, of thebase. In this construction, each fish plate as F has at the top outer edge a recess or groove 32, at the bottom outer edge a recess or groove 33 and at each end a recess 34 and 35. It also has a reinforcing rib 36. These plates are welded intoiposition by introducing the welding material intothe recess 32, 33, 34 and 35' which adjoin portions of the rail as indicated. In Fig. 5, I show a form of fish plate K which has recesses or grooves only at the top 4.0 and at the bottom 41. This may be welded in these grooves and also along the ends 42 and 43. It has a reinforcing rib 44.

I may use, wherein the fish plate L has at .each end, toothed recesses 50 and 51 similar to teeth 26 and 27 shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and has also at the top a plurality of toothed recesses 53 and at the bottom. a plurality of toothed recesses 52. The bottom edge is longer than the top and it has a reinforcing rib 54 as shown.

In Figs. 7 and 8, I show another form of fish plate 0, P, wherein each plate as O has a top longitudinal recess or groove 60, a bottom longitudinal recess or groove 61, while the ends 62 and 63 are not grooved and there is no reinforcing rib. In this caseas in the construction shown in Fig. 5, the welding material is introduced into the grooves 60 and 61' at the top and bottom and into the angle formed at the junction point between the ends 62 and 63 and the rails Q, R.

The sectional views show some of the. different types of rails to which my fish plates can be applied but there are other types with any of which they can be used, if properly shaped, on the adjoining surfaces.

I prefer to use a flange which extends outwardly from'the top ofeaoh of my fish plates so. that as the ball of the rail wears down from the top, it will, be reinforced and supported by said flange.

In the welding process, that part of the rail and of the fish plate which adjoins the welding material is more or less softened and melted and merges with the welding material so that it is difiicult, if not impossible, to tell where one leaves off and the other begins. My recesses or grooves assist in this merging and also help to direct the welding material to the proper each having a top flange which fits under the ball of the rail and being shaped at the bottom .to fit the base thereof, each fish plate having recesses at its edges which adjoin the rails and being-welded to the rails along said recesses.

2. A rail joint comprising abutting rail ends and a fish plate at the side of said ends, said fish plate being fitted snugly to the web of the rails and to the ball arid base thereof and having along its top and bottom edges adjoining the ball and base of the rails. longitudinal grooves and at its e'nds having toothed recesses adjoining the In Fig. 6, I show a construction which webs of the rails said plate being welded to the rails along said grooves and toothed re cesses as described. 7

3. A rail joint comprising rails whose ends abut, and a pair of fish plates each of which fits on the opposite side of the webs of the rails and overlaps the ends thereof each having a top flange which fits-under the ball of the rail and a reinforcing ribwhich extends downward therefrom and said fish plates being shaped at the bottom to fit the base thereof, each fish plate having recesses at its edges which adjoin the 'rails and being welded to the rails along said recesses.

4. rail joint comprising abutting rail ends, and a fish plate'at the side of said ends, said fish plate being fitted snugly to the web of the rails and to the ball and base thereof. and having along its top and bottom edges which adjoin the ball and base of the rails toothed recesses and having at its ends toothed recesses which adjoin the webs of the rails said plate being welded to the rails along said toothed recesses as described.

5. A rail joint comprising abutting rail ends and a fish plate at each side of said ends each of said fish plates being fitted snugly to the web of the rails and having a top flange which fits under the ball of the rail and a reinforcing ribwhich extends downward therefrom, said fish plate being shaped at the bottom to fit the base of said rails and having along its top and bottom edgesand along each end toothed recesses which adjoin the rails said fish plate being welded to the rails along said toothed re- 10 EPIPHANE P. SIMARD.

Witnesses:

J. H. GrnLLE'r, GARDNER W. PEARSON. 

